Account of the families of Birnie and Hamilton of Broomhill

14 ACCOUNT OF THE FAMILIE
goeing to be married to King James the Third's sister, Lady Mary, the
Lord Boyd's spouse, divorced from her husband anno 1471. Janet in a
rage threw the child from her, which brok his thigh bone ; and made a
vow ere long to be married, her own words, " to a prettier man ;" so went
off, and, as the storie sayes, was married to Stewart of Castlemilk. How-
ever the above matter was, yet the same James, Lord Hamilton, upon the
sixteenth day of Februarie 1473, and of Pope Sextus the Fourth, the
third year, James Williamson, notar, infeft John Hamilton First of
Broomhill, his films carnalis, as he calls him, in the lands of Draffan-
yeards and Machan Muir, being a 40 merk land of old extent. Item, in the
lands of Silvertonhill, with power to redeem the other; and made him heri-
table keeper of the castle of Hamilton, by delivery of the keyes. Witnesses,
Sir Archibald de Calderwood, James Hamilton of Weilsland, and John
Hamilton de Porta Castri. And yet further, James, Earle of Arran, the
above lord's eldest son, and nephew to King James the Third, as braue
a man as had been in the family, not only obtained the said John with
his own two natural sons, Sir James Hamilton of Finzeart, (after Avan-
dale,) and Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kingwell, legittimate; but in his
charter of erection and entail of his whole lands, passing by the families
of Preston, Innerweick, Dalserf, Raploch, Bathgate, Bardowie, Brunt-
wood, Bowland, Cambuskeith, Barngater, Neilsland, and all their descend-
ents, places the three failziers airs male of his own body first in the en-
tail, where the above John is designed as his brother, and the other two
his sons natural. The above charter is dated the 20th January 1512,
and in the Laigh Parliament House, book 16, page 135, James Fourth's
reign. The above Earle was a man of great valour and courage, and one
of the best commanders of his tyme; as you see, anno 1504, by the ex-
pedition he was sent with against the rebelling Swades, told by the Ho-
lenshed, and in ane other thereafter to the assistance of the French King,
who rewarded him with great gifts and a pension dureing lyfe. He
married Janet Beaton, a daughter of the Laird of Creich's, and aunt to
the Cardinal. The above John Hamilton of Broomhill married Janet,
daughter to Sir Robert Hamilton of Preston and Fingleton, whose mother